Performance is not constant

[Dragon Queen]

This car feels very rough and heavy when driving it...

At one point before I had a PCM replacement, my powerband was smooth..

Why can't my powerband ever feel relaxed, and constant? It's like shifting through the gears is a nightmare...it's not a smooth 1-2-3-4-5-6 but it gets better around 4-5 and 6.

I do have an aftermarket motor mount.

 

[pHeeL tHiZ ViBe]

well the first two gears are very short, and that can make you feel like shifting is a nightmare. also in first and second boost is regulated to a very low psi. and as far as a smooth overall powerband..well blame mazda. i suggest an EMS upgrade to fix that feel. and a short-throw kit for the shifting nightmare.

the more you drive it, the better it will feel. you get a knack for smooth shift points (rpm's)

 

[MS3ICA]

i thought on the ms6's there was no boost cut in 1st and 2nd... and if your car feels rough or shifts are not smooth then i would have your fluids checked something must be wrong!

 

[pHeeL tHiZ ViBe]

i thought on the ms6's there was no boost cut in 1st and 2nd... and if your car feels rough or shifts are not smooth then i would have your fluids checked something must be wrong!

no boost is significantly cut in 1st and 2nd . can't you feel it?

 

[MS3ICA]

i have a ms3 and i get 10psi in first and 14 in second, but i got cp-e on orderand thier base map gives 15psi in all gears!!!

 

[pHeeL tHiZ ViBe]

hmm...well i don't have a guage so i don't pop off numbers, all i know is its not full boost and i can tell a difference lol

 

[MS3ICA]

you ought to install a boost guage its really neat i got mine on the steering collum its perfect

 

[aTriz]

I dont know my low end seems to feel a lot better than my top end... My car feels like its just dead after 4th gear. I agree our gears are way too short esp 1st and 2nd...

 

[Dragon Queen]

My main complaint is that Some days it's smooth, and then others It's a rough, heavy drive.

But you answered my question Maybe the standback will fix this, perhaps I need a reflash also?

 

[MS6S2K]

This engine isn't tuned as good as it should be. I consider it still a work in progress. Mazda is lacking in the tuning ability this far of high boost high HP applications. They aren't Subaru Technica International, but hopefully in time they will be. My STI was extremely consistent in it's power delivery, and this car one day feels like it's in tune, and the next day, bam, it's out of tune.

Everytime I drive this car, I think "this thing needs work, because it's just too inconsistent." However, I'm not complaining. I still love the car, and for the price I paid, I have no right to complain.

 

[pHeeL tHiZ ViBe]

when i first got my car, i seriously thought that same thing! i was constantly asking my friend, 'is that boosting right? i think somethings wrong' and he'd reply 'you're paranoid' lol. it felt like sometimes it would pull uber hard, and othertimes it wasn't pulling hard at all.

but i don't know, cuz know it feels constant from day to day. maybe just cuz i've had more experience in a wider variety of circumstances with my speed now.

edit: except for in the winter here in utah...this car pulls like a rabid b**** (whip) no joke lol

 

[MS6S2K]

when i first got my car, i seriously thought that same thing! i was constantly asking my friend, 'is that boosting right? i think somethings wrong' and he'd reply 'you're paranoid' lol. it felt like sometimes it would pull uber hard, and othertimes it wasn't pulling hard at all.

but i don't know, cuz know it feels constant from day to day. maybe just cuz i've had more experience in a wider variety of circumstances with my speed now.

edit: except for in the winter here in utah...this car pulls like a rabid b**** (whip) no joke lol

Mazda is new to this, so for the time frame that has passed, they have done well, but of course this car is still in need ot some tuning adjustments. You got car companies like Mitsubishi and Subaru who are so far advanced on these high boost turbochraged 4 bangers, that Mazda is a baby when it comes to this, and needs time. I think eventually this engine will be better, and the flaws we have now will be gone on future models.

The STI may have jumped onto the scene with 300hp, but the STI was made long before we ever saw it, and their experience is far superior. Mazda just has to play catch up, so they can compete with the big boyz.

 

[pHeeL tHiZ ViBe]

i just ordered my short throw today, i ordered the stage 2 i hope that makes 1st-2nd less of a hassle! i started shifting from 1st straight to 3rd sometimes lol, just cuz i feel like a trucker having to jam through gears with the stock shifter (and cuz the boost from 1st to 3rd feels great, and its a long rev to redline)

 

[Dragon Queen]

i just ordered my short throw today, i ordered the stage 2 i hope that makes 1st-2nd less of a hassle! i started shifting from 1st straight to 3rd sometimes lol, just cuz i feel like a trucker having to jam through gears with the stock shifter (and cuz the boost from 1st to 3rd feels great, and its a long rev to redline)

I got mine on order too (drive2)

I ordered the Stage one Clutchie Let's compare when we get ours ok?

 

[pHeeL tHiZ ViBe]

word cotton

 

[gooniac33]

Mazda is new to this, so for the time frame that has passed, they have done well, but of course this car is still in need ot some tuning adjustments. You got car companies like Mitsubishi and Subaru who are so far advanced on these high boost turbochraged 4 bangers, that Mazda is a baby when it comes to this, and needs time. I think eventually this engine will be better, and the flaws we have now will be gone on future models.

The STI may have jumped onto the scene with 300hp, but the STI was made long before we ever saw it, and their experience is far superior. Mazda just has to play catch up, so they can compete with the big boyz.

this is the best response I have read thus far. Very true. Mazda can tune a turbo Rotary any day! But they are new to this. They can tune a N/A 4 banger as you have seen in the Speed world challenge and the motors they used in the Formula Mazda series before they switched to the Rotories. Bear with them though. They will catch up with the next gen of this motor.....

The car does take a little getting used to and as you will find out it does not like going to redline when stock! Your shift points should be around 5900-6100 RPM. Otherwise it will feel slow because the power drops off after 6k. And you have to be smooth on the throttle not just all slam bam. The car is the fastest when driven smoothly. At least that is what I have found to work for me. It is pretty insane to see how much torque it makes after 2800-3000 RPM and when you get used to the car that is where all the power begins. It is a fast car if driven properly. Kinda like how it was with the VTEC motors when they first came out. They feel slow if you are used to low end torque pulling you around. But once you learn to drive them like you are mad at them they fly!

This car is different and takes some getting used to. It is fast when stock. You just have to know how to get the most out of it.

Ok thats it....Sorry for the essay!!!(braindead